When you’re in the process of applying to grad school, you’ve probably noticed different application deadlines. There are early deadlines, priority deadlines, and regular deadlines, each with its own respective date attached to it. Ultimately, you end up choosing one that fits best with your timeline. But, have you ever wondered what these deadlines mean? In today’s blog, we’ll break down the different college application deadlines, what they mean, and list some advantages of each one.
Common Application Deadlines
1. Priority Deadline
A priority deadline means your application will be one of the first received and reviewed by the admissions team.Admissions officials review applications in the order they receive them, starting with the earliest (priority deadlines) and ending with the latest (regular or rolling deadlines). If there’s a surplus of priority applications, those who apply during the rolling or regular admissions period may not be admitted because priority applicants could fill all available spots. By applying to a priority deadline, you ensure that the admissions team will consider your application first, ahead of regular applicants.
Advantages of Priority Deadline:
- Higher admission rate
- Receive your decision sooner
- More time to find housing or obtain a visa, if needed
- Gets your application process out of the way
- Expresses strong interest towards the school/program
2. Regular Decision Deadline
Advantages of Regular Decision Deadline:
As the most popular college application deadline, the regular decision deadline grants you a specific time frame to expect a university’s admission decision. Most institutions set this deadline about 1-2 months after the priority or early decision deadline, giving you extra time to explore your options (e.g., considering other schools or programs) and refine your application materials. This deadline provides applicants with a clear sense of stability, neutrality, and predictability.
- More time to gather your materials for the application process
- Set decision window from the university
- Most popular option amongst students
3. Rolling Admissions
The final deadline is the rolling admissions deadline. Rolling admissions is a flexible process used by some colleges where they review applications as they come in, rather than waiting for a deadline. Instead of having to wait months, you’ll usually get a decision within 4-6 weeks (if not sooner), and they keep admitting students until they fill their cohort. Most schools with rolling admissions open their applications around early September and stay open until the spring, so there’s plenty of time to apply.
Advantages of Rolling Admissions Deadline:
- Apply early and hear your decision sooner
- More time to apply
Emerson College Application Deadlines
Emerson’s graduate application deadlines are similar to those listed above, but there are a few differences. “Graduate programs at Emerson College have either rolling or priority deadlines, depending on the program’s format and start term,” says Charlotte Coberley, Assistant Director of Graduate Admissions at Emerson. Some programs have only one start term, while others may have two or three. This means application deadlines can vary for Fall, Spring, and Summer.
Emerson currently offers only two programs with a true priority deadline: Film and Media Art (MFA) and Communication Disorders (On-Campus). “Programs with a priority deadline require that all application materials be submitted on or before the listed date,” Charlotte explains.
All other graduate programs fall under the ‘rolling admissions’ category, with their own subcategories of priority, regular, and final.
Admissions teams use these subcategories to evaluate candidates for financial support.
“We give students who apply on or before the priority deadline the most consideration for scholarships or fellowship awards,” explains Charlotte. They base these financial awards on the merit of a student’s application at the time of submission. So, the closer you submit your materials to a regular or final deadline, the lower your chances of receiving scholarship funding.
Some Advice For Applicants
“The advice I always give applicants is to check when the priority deadline is for their program and ensure all materials are submitted on or before that deadline,” adds Charlotte, as doing so allows for the applicant to track the progress of their materials at any point by logging into their admission portal. This is extra beneficial for applicants that are awaiting recommendation letters and transcript evaluations. Charlotte also recommends “apply early and reach out to your admission counselor with questions or concerns” for additional help and guidance.
Understanding college application deadlines can be hard, but it doesn’t have to be confusing. Hopefully, this blog post helped shed some light on these application deadlines and their significance. For more information on graduate admission application deadlines, feel free to reach out to an admissions counselor or check out Emerson’s Graduate Admission page for more information on the graduate school admissions process. To hear more about our advice on grad school preparation, be sure to visit the Tips and FAQs page.
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